By Hayley Robinson

A former drug user who used to commit two crimes a day to feed his addiction has apologised to his victims.

Peter Beale, from Kemsley, has been arrested, charged and brought before the courts more times than he can remember, for shoplifting, burglary and robbery, and since the age of 16 he has spent more time in prison than out of it.

But at the start of 2009 Peter hit rock bottom. He realised that if he continued with his £500 a week heroine addiction and life of crime he might lose his family for good, including his partner Esther (pictured).

In January he was given his third Drug Rehabilitation Requirement by a court and was separated from his family until he could prove he was over his addiction.

Thanks to help and support from Kent Police and other agencies he has now been clean for almost a year and due to his success he has been reunited with his family in time for Christmas.

He said: “I don’t want to lose my family – it would kill me. Esther said she wasn’t putting up with it any more and I decided that this time, this was it. I was fed up with waking up every day and feeling ill and spending my whole day thinking how I was going to get enough money for my heroin.

“I am ashamed of what I have done and I’d like to say sorry to the victims.”

PC Karen Cook, a drugs liaison officer based at Maidstone police station, says getting to the root of why someone commits crime is as important as arresting and charging criminals.

She said: “An enormous amount of crimes have been prevented, when you think that Peter was committing at least two crimes a day but hasn’t been for the past eight months.

“Peter is now a different person and it is great to see.”

Peter’s drug taking began when he was just 12 when he became addicted to solvents. He took heroin for the first time aged 15. His first spell in custody was in a young offenders institution, aged 16. He was hooked on heroin by 17 and also started using crack cocaine.

Peter said: “When I got my first clean test I was over the moon. People now say I’m an inspiration to them and I tell them that if I can do it, so can they.”